Olivier Messiaen

French composer, organist and ornithologist (1908–1992)
Person human Q151593
Olivier Messiaen
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Olivier Messiaen

Summary

Olivier Messiaen is a human[1]. He was born in Avignon[2]. He was born on December 10, 1908[3]. He died in Clichy[4]. He died on April 27, 1992[5]. He worked as a composer[6], organist[7], ornithologist[8], music educator[9], and musicologist[10]. He has Wikipedia articles in 27 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[11]

Key Facts

  • Olivier Messiaen's place of birth was Avignon[2].
  • Olivier Messiaen died in Clichy[4].
  • Olivier Messiaen was born on December 10, 1908[3].
  • Olivier Messiaen died on April 27, 1992[5].
  • Burial took place at Saint-Théoffrey[12].
  • Olivier Messiaen's father was Pierre Messiaen[13].
  • Olivier Messiaen's mother was Cécile Sauvage[14].
  • Olivier Messiaen was married to Claire Delbos[15].
  • Among Olivier Messiaen's spouses was Yvonne Loriod[16].
  • A child of Olivier Messiaen was Pascal Messiaen[17].
  • Olivier Messiaen held citizenship in France[18].
  • Olivier Messiaen's professions included composer[6].
  • Olivier Messiaen worked as an organist[7].
  • Olivier Messiaen's professions included ornithologist[8].
  • Olivier Messiaen's professions included music educator[9].
  • Olivier Messiaen's professions included musicologist[10].
  • Olivier Messiaen's professions included music theorist[19].
  • Among Olivier Messiaen's employers was Conservatoire de Paris[20].
  • Among Olivier Messiaen's employers was École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot[21].
  • Among Olivier Messiaen's employers was Schola Cantorum de Paris[22].
  • Olivier Messiaen's education included a stint at Conservatoire de Paris[23].
  • A notable work attributed to Olivier Messiaen is Saint François d'Assise[24].
  • Olivier Messiaen received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour[25].
  • Olivier Messiaen received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[26].
  • Olivier Messiaen received the Commander of the Order of the Crown[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Olivier Messiaen's place of birth was Avignon[2]. He was born on December 10, 1908[3]. His father was Pierre Messiaen[13]. His mother was Cécile Sauvage[14].

Education

Olivier Messiaen was educated at Conservatoire de Paris[23].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include composer[6], organist[7], ornithologist[8], music educator[9], musicologist[10], and music theorist[19]. Employers include Conservatoire de Paris[20], a grande école[28], in France[29], founded in 1795[30], headquartered in 19th arrondissement of Paris[31]; École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot[21], a college of music[32], in France[33], founded in 1919[34], headquartered in Paris[35]; and Schola Cantorum de Paris[22], a college of music[36], in France[37], founded in 1894[38].

Works and Contributions

A notable work attributed to Olivier Messiaen is Saint François d'Assise[24]. Things named for him include 11050 Messiaën[39].

Recognition

Awards received include Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour[25], a grade of an order[40], in France[41]; Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[26], a grade of an order[42], in Germany[43]; Commander of the Order of the Crown[27], a grade of an order[44], in Belgium[45]; Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg[46], a music award[47], in Germany[48], founded in 1950[49]; Erasmus Prize[50], a science award[51], in Netherlands[52], founded in 1958[53]; and Léonie Sonning Music Prize[54], a music award[55], in Denmark[56], founded in 1959[57].

Personal Life

Spouses include Claire Delbos[15], a composer[58], 1906–1959[59], of France[60] and Yvonne Loriod[16], a pianist[61], 1924–2010[62], of France[63], awarded the Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎[64]. A child of Olivier Messiaen was Pascal Messiaen[17].

Death and Burial

Olivier Messiaen died on April 27, 1992[5]. He died in Clichy[4]. He is buried at Saint-Théoffrey[12].

Why It Matters

Olivier Messiaen has Wikipedia articles in 27 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[11] He is known by 42 alternative names across languages and contexts.[65]

He has been cited as an influence by Floating Points[66], a recording artist[67], b. 1986[68], of United Kingdom[69]; Karlheinz Stockhausen[70], a composer[71], 1928–2007[72], of Germany[73], awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[74]; and Jennifer Bate[75], an organist[76], 1944–2020[77], of United Kingdom[78], awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire[79].

Entities named for him include 11050 Messiaën[39].

FAQs

Where was Olivier Messiaen born?

Olivier Messiaen was born in Avignon[2].

Where did Olivier Messiaen die?

Olivier Messiaen passed away in Clichy[4].

Who were Olivier Messiaen's parents?

Olivier Messiaen's father was Pierre Messiaen[13]. Olivier Messiaen's mother was Cécile Sauvage[14].

Who was Olivier Messiaen married to?

Olivier Messiaen's spouses include Claire Delbos[15] and Yvonne Loriod[16].

What did Olivier Messiaen do for work?

Olivier Messiaen worked as composer[6], organist[7], ornithologist[8], music educator[9], and musicologist[10].

Where did Olivier Messiaen go to school?

Olivier Messiaen was educated at Conservatoire de Paris[23].

What awards did Olivier Messiaen receive?

Honors received include Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour[25], Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[26], Commander of the Order of the Crown[27], and Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg[46].

Who did Olivier Messiaen influence?

Olivier Messiaen has been cited as an influence by Floating Points[66], Karlheinz Stockhausen[70], and Jennifer Bate[75].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . wikidata.org.
  3. [13] . wikidata.org.
  4. [14] . wikidata.org.
  5. [15] . Grove Music Online. Retrieved . doi.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  6. [16] . oliviermessiaen.org. Retrieved . oliviermessiaen.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  7. [18] . wikidata.org.
  8. [17] . wikidata.org.
  9. [23] . wikidata.org.
  10. [6] . wikidata.org.
  11. [7] . nytimes.com. nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  12. [8] . wikidata.org.
  13. [9] . wikidata.org.
  14. [10] . wikidata.org.
  15. [19] . wikidata.org.
  16. [20] . wikidata.org.
  17. [21] . wikidata.org.
  18. [22] . wikidata.org.
  19. [12] . wikidata.org.
  20. [25] . wikidata.org.
  21. [26] . wikidata.org.
  22. [27] . wikidata.org.
  23. [46] . wikidata.org.
  24. [50] . erasmusprijs.org. Retrieved . erasmusprijs.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  25. [54] . wikidata.org.
  26. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  27. [5] . SNAC. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  28. [24] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [66] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [70] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [75] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [39] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [69] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [72] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [73] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [74] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  41. [76] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  42. [77] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  43. [78] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  44. [79] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  2. [65] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Olivier Messiaen. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/olivier-messiaen
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_olivier-messiaen_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Olivier Messiaen}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/olivier-messiaen}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 7d ago · Gerwoman · 2026-07-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14636 7463
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14636]]: 7463, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260571|batch #260571]]"
  2. 5w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id p0087026-Messiaen-Olivier-19081992
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9322]]: p0087026-Messiaen-Olivier-19081992, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259493|batch #259493]]"
  3. 8w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/31724|batch #31724]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (18)"
  4. 10w ago · Gerwoman · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    Sancho el sabio foundation id 90765
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30423|batch #30423]]"
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